A survey from Carphone Warehouse reveals that those in the North East of England are the most callous about their animals; with the loss of their pet upsetting only 57 per cent, while 73 per cent of those living in the South West care most - must be all those retirees.
Quite why the rest of the population keeps pets isn't clear …

phone/contact list vs pet/looking after it

Tricky one that, i think it all depends on how the question was asked, I mean i would be a bit annoyed to loose all the contacts stored in my phone, the phone itself i couldn't care less about, and i doubt many people really have an emotional attachement to a lump of metal & plastic.

on the other hand a pet is unique and irreplacable, but most cat owners will be aware that their kitty could take it into their heads to run away or move in over the road at any time.

There IS a difference between 'upset' and 'pissed off'

All cats, presumably

Around our way, the standard thinking is: "I've got no space for a pet in my flat, and I've got no time to look after a pet - so I'll get a cat. I can let it wander around 24 hours a day and crap in the neighbours' gardens, without having to take any responsibility myself." What fun, when you happen to be a non-cat-owner who's one of the few people in the area with a well-kept garden, and you become the area's kitty-litter tray. :-( Don't get me wrong, I like cats - but I dislike the attitude of most cat owners.

(And if it's a wild animal that wants to roam free, as some cat owners say, that's fine by me. A wild animal on your property can legally be shot...)

Babushka Kitteh seiz

Re The difference?

I think you'll find that children are generally more appealing and stimulating than, say, a hamster or spider. I think it depends on the pet. Something about the Biological Imperative and passing on your DNA as your only reason for existence might do it. Plus they live longer and you can beat them more severely.

Title

And 83.2% of statistics are made up on the spot.

How many members of the sample population actually had pets to miss? If it was only 59% in That London - which seems high - then 100% of that pet-owning population could've said that they would miss their pets more.

@Bill

I suspect your pussy has a higher value than my PAYG...

FWIW on the legality, I quote from the link below: "Because they are classed as vermin, feral cats ("nuisance cats") may legally be controlled by shooting by the landowner or his agents." Now telling the difference between a feral cat and someone's cat who they've just not kept on their property, that's hard. But unlike dogs, there's no law against killing cats.

Bloody Stupid, This

I'm a Londoner in a flat, and I love my cat because I think she and her little kitty friends are wonderful companions for all of humankind. Nothing to do with space or caring/feeding - they're just lovely, intelligent creatures. So if there's a fire, you know, say the gas leaks and someone lights up, it's the cat I'm going to dive for and not my phone, my computers, or anything else.

Oh, and to picky landowners: just be bloody glad a disciplined cat will cover its crap up for you. Discipline makes the cat owner the problem, not the cat. My Tab started out as an unidentifiable stray that no-one around seemed to have any connections with, so we took her in. She obviously didn't have much human exposure because training was hard work, and she was fairly fleet and wild. Of the two gardens my cat visits, only one's owner has taken exception by throwing stones (unfortunate really that we happen to have a security camera the council had no problem in believing). The other has a new feline friend. I'll gladly let any animal near to me as long as it doesn't hurt or harm anyone or anything. So if you've got a violent dog and it comes over here, then I make my complaint. Not until then, though, and I'd really expect the same of others. I wouldn't wish the loss of an animal on anyone, so shooting is something you do when kicking the animal up the arse doesn't have any effect. If you don't want a cat near you, get off your arse and plant repellant - it's not expensive, and they'll get the message. I don't take responsibility for other people's issues if their only complaint is that the cat is an intruder if it isn't doing any kind of damage or killing your animals. It shares this earth with you.

Wet pussy

Graham, if you are worried about vigilante retaliation against your phone, may I suggest a water-based alternative to the more traditional projectile weapon? A cat hit with a water pistol soon learns to appreciate that patch of gravel in your garden as much as you do... It is (at least it appears to be) harmless to the cat --- which may or may not be an attractive quality --- and the cat's keeper will be none-the-wiser. It's also extremely good fun! This method also has the advantage of watering the rest of your garden while you're at it.